The month of November brought two category 4 hurricanes to the La Mosquitia region of Nicaragua and Honduras, causing extensive damage from storm surge, high winds, and heavy rain. Top winds were measured at over 155 mph, and as much as 60 inches of rain fell within two weeks.
Hygiene kits and water purification filters donated by Habitat for Humanity of Nicaragua packed for their flight across the country with Mission Aviation Fellowship.
In Nicaragua, many of the over 60,000 persons evacuated from their homes are now returning to assess what remains. Small towns such as Haulover were destroyed entirely, with scarcely a structure remaining intact. The Moravian Church there was left only with its front facade and steeple still standing.
In Honduras, shelters are beginning to empty as rivers are now receding. Over 150 homes were destroyed, and more than 800 sustained significant damage. Roads and bridges were washed out, hampering the delivery of food and supplies.
Moravians at the airport in Puerto Cabezas (Bilwi) receiving materials sent from their brothers and sisters in Managua.
In Nicaragua and Honduras, many of the farms that line the rivers and tributaries are now covered with two feet of sand and mud. They have lost much of their rice harvest this year, and now is the critical time for planting beans. As a result, food insecurity will be a factor for months to come.
The Provincial church leaders in Nicaragua and Honduras have communicated with us that the procurement of food for immediate use, seeds for crops lost in the storm, clean water, medicines to combat water-borne diseases, and building materials will remain priorities for the funds that we are now sending.
Recently our partnership with Habitat for Humanity enabled us to accept 100 hygiene kits that included water purification filters. These were transported from Managua to Puerto Cabezas (Bilwi) through our partnership with Mission Aviation Fellowship.
To date, the Board of World Mission has dispatched $41,000 to the three Moravian Provinces in the region to help them procure these needed supplies. By the end of December, we will be distributing another $75,000.
We ask for your continued support of the Moravian Disaster Response fund, which allows the BWM to respond to disasters immediately with funds for emergency needs, as well as ongoing rebuilding projects. US residents can send donations to The Board of World Mission, 1021 Center St. Bethlehem, PA 18018. Canadian residents can send gifts to The Moravian Church in Canada, 600 Acadia Drive SE, Calgary, AB T2J 0B8.
Give online by going to www.moravianmission.org/give.
Please mark your donation, “For MDR.”
